Rheostat switch



SePt- 19, l944- H. w. BATCHELLR 2,358,617

RHEOSTAT SWITCH Filed June 5, 1940 l El Hlm!! am Q Patented Sept. 19, 1944 UNITED STATE-s @PATENT v,oFF-I-CE RHEOSTAT SWITCH;

HughW. Batcheller, Newton, Mass., assignornto Standard Mfg. Co., Worcester, Mass., a corporation or Massachusetts Application June 5, 1940, Serial No. 338,857

4 Claims.

'parts of a switch embodying the invention.

Figure 2 is a side elevation of the assembled switch.

Figure 3 is a bottom plan view of the main portion of the switch,

Figure 4 is a section on the line 4--4 ofY Figure 2`.

Figure 5 is a sectionon the line 5-5 of Fig? ure 2.

Figure 6 is a section on the line 6 6 ofv Figure 5.

As shown in Figure 1, the switch Ymay comprise a housing consisting of a rectangular metal shell I0 which iits upon a base plate I2, the shell I0 being provided withv a suitable number of ears I4 which are bent intov pockets I6 in the side edges of `the plate l2vso. as to hold the shell and plate assembled. Slidable above the. upper face of the plate I2 is a rectangular slide 20.which tsvslidably between they side walls of the shell Ill and which may have longitudinal runnersv 2l to bear against the under face rof the top of the shell l0. The slide is loperated byy means .of .a stem .22 `which projects through the` bore. of a. .neck element 24 at one end ofthe shell I0, this neck element being externally screw-threaded to receive apair of nuts v2li` by which the switch can be iirmly clamped to the dashboard 28 of an automobile or to any other equivalent wall or plate. For simplicity in assembling, the front end of the slide may be provided with a T slot 30 adapted to receive the rear end portion 32 of the s-tem 22 which is separated from the main portion of the stem by a reduced portion 34. A spring element 36 is provided with a leg 38 adapted to project into the slot 30 sc as to bear against the end 32 of the stem and to prevent rattling of the end 32 in the slot 3D. The other leg 40 of the spring 36 is provided with a lug 42 which snaps over a shoulder (not shown) in a slot 44 in the slide 20 so as to retain the spring 36 in position. The slide 2U is also provided with a transverse bore containing a helical spring 50 under compression, the ends ofthe spring engaging against a pair of balls 52 within the bore so as to press the balls outwardly against the side walls of the shell- I0. These side walls are provided with outwardly vdented elements V54 which form shallow recesses on the inner surface of these walls directly opposite the paths of the balls 52 as-I the slide is moved back and forth within the housing composed ofthe shell I0V and the base plate I2. `Thus the springsgSU and the balls 52 tend to. maintain the slide'yieldingly in any one of a numberof positionsI defined' by the 4 elements 54.

' The switch and fuse elements are Vmounted on A the base plateY I2, this base platebeing preferably made of .asuitableinsulating material such as a molded artificial resin or an equivalent. -A series of Vrivets 60, 62, 64 .and 66. extend through the .splate I2, the upper ends. of vthese rivets being flat heads, as indicated in Figures l and 6,.which-con stitute stationary switch elements for contact with a` vmovable switchelement. The rivets.60,

1 62, Y64 and66 are arranged inarcuate array, the

center of the arc being denedby a small hole 68 which serves `as a .pivot bearing for a/metal lever 'l0 which has a pivot element. I2v inserted loosely vin the hole A68. -Near the end vof vthe lever l0 opposite the pivotelement I2 isa boss 'M which projects toward the base plate and is adapted to contact with theA several switch elements 6l),Y 62,

Y. 64 and 66. As thelever 'I0 isv rocked about the pivot element 12, the boss 14 slides upon the Lelements 60, 62, 64 and, 66.in succession, thus connecting suchy elements successively Witha coniductor 16 ,mountedV on the plate I2. This conductor is 4preferably yprovidedrwith an.,arcuate ,embossed ridge. or kbead ,'18 on which `the lever 1I) slides so as to provide at all times a good electrical connection ,betweenY the lever 'ID and the ,conductor 16.

rI Ihe conductor 16 also includesan extension 80, the end of which is electrically connected to a rivet 82 which projects through the plate I2. Near the rivet 82 is another rivet 84 which also projects through the plate I2, these rivets being employed to secure to the plate I2 a pair of metal brackets 86 and 88. Mounted on these brackets, respectively, are a pair of clips 90 and 92 adapted to receive the heads of a cartridge fuse 94. The bracket 88, as indicated in Figure 2, has an end portion 96 which serves as a binding post for the switch. A companion binding post 98 is provided at the end of a conductor IUD which is secured to the plate I2 by a rivet |02 and the rivet 64.

The switch is provided with a pair of resist- Aand the binding post 98.

rock about its pivot axis. lwhich therslide is yieldingly retained in any one ring .movement -of aXis.

.fthe Afuse v 94, the bracket 86, the rivet 82, the ex- .tension 8.0 the conductor 16, the lever 10, the vfrivet 64, and the conductor to the binding ipost 98. Thus, when the boss 14 -rests on the frivet 64, the resistance coils |06 and |08 are by-v passed and the binding posts 96 and 98 are directly connected.

When the lever 10 is swung to bring the boss 14 in contact with the rivet 62, the current which 4comes from the binding post 96 to the lever 10, .as' described above, iiows through the rivet 62 and the resistance coil |08 to the conductor |00 When the boss 14 is moved to fcontact with the rivet 60; the I.cur-

l rent which ows from the binding post 96 to the lever 10 continues through the rivet 60, the coils |06 and |08and the conductor |00 to the v binding post 98, this resulting in the cutting-in of both of the resistance coils. I For rocking the. lever 10, a pin-and-slot connection between the slide and the lever 10 is provided. As indicated in Figure 6, a plunger -f ||0 is mounted in a suitable recess in the under face of the slide20, the lower end of V`the plunger H0 being reduced as at ||2 to form a pin riding in a longitudinal slot ||4 in the lever 1|)V between theboss 14 and the portion of the lever .that rides on the bead..18. A vspring I|6 may be seated in the same'recess so as to keep the pin ||2 within the slot ||4 and also to press the lever 10 so that the boss 14will be pressed againstone/or another of the rivetsso as to make a good electrical lcontact therewith, and

.so that the lever 10 will be pressed strongly .again'st the raised bead 18 of the conductor 16. As'the slide 20 is moved back and forth in the shell |0, the pin-and-slot connection between the slide and the lever 10 causes the lever Vto of series of positions'are so arranged that such -Y positions of the-'slide correspond to positions of the boss 14 on the heads of respective rivets 60,

- 62, 64 and 66.. Thus Ythe reciprocal*straight-line movement of the stern 22is converted to rockthelever 10 about its pivot It' is'V evident that various' modifications and fchanges may be made in the embodiments of.L

The recesses 54 by.

the invention herein shown and described without departing from the spirit or scope thereof as dened in the following claims.

I claim:

1. An electric switch comprising a rectangular housing consisting of a base plate and a hollow shell with parallel side walls, a conductor pivotally connected adjacent to one of its ends with said base, a plurality of contact elements arranged on said base in the path of movement of the free end of said conductor whereby said elements are successively engaged by said lconductor as it swings about its pivot, a slide block tted between said side walls of the shell for guided movement back and forth, means operatively connecting said block and said conductor,'and means for sliding said block to rock said conductor.

2. In an electric switch, a base of insulating material, stationary contact elements thereon ar- K ranged in a circular arc, a metal beading mounted on said base and shaped in an arc concentric with the rst-mentioned arc, a conductor having a contact element near one end movable into contact successively with said stationary elements and having a pivot element at its other end concentric with said arcs, means engaging said conductor between its ends to press it vagainst said stationary elements and said beading, and means for actuating Saidengaging means to rock said conductor about its pivot axis.

3. An electric switch comprising a` base of in'-y sulating material having a recess therein, a plurality of contact elements mounted on said base at equal distances from said'recess, Ya metal ridge on said base adjacent to said recess, a conductor having a turned-down end portion loosely engaging in said recess to act as a pivot, a

40 portion of said conductor slidably engaging said ridge, another portion of said conductor being slidably movable into contact with successive contact elements, and means pressing said conductor against said ridge and said contact elements.

4. In an electric switch, a base ofinsulating material, a series of contact elements mounted on said base, an elongated metal beading mounted on said base in spaced relation to said series of elements, a conductor movable over said base with one end portion engaging said beading and its other end portion engaging said contact elements in succession, and movable actuating means for shifting said conductor, said means engaging said' conductor at a point inter- Y mediate the said end portions thereof and resiliently pressing said conductor toward said base.

HUGH W. BATCHELLER. 

